The project had three main objectives: 1. To strengthen the competencies of staff and volunteers from both organizations in working with migrants, through the exchange of experiences and best practices between organizations from Poland and Italy. 2. To inspire people with refugee and migration experience by collecting and disseminating their success stories – presenting real, motivating examples of how rebuilding one’s life and career in a new country is possible. 3. To develop recommendations that support the integration of migrants, with a particular focus on the role of adult education, lifelong learning, and skills development as key tools for empowerment and activation.
The project was a response to the urgent needs resulting from the sudden increase in the number of refugees in Poland, mainly women from Ukraine who arrived in our country in 2022 due to the armed conflict. Poland, with little prior experience in providing systemic support to refugees, faced significant social, educational, and integration challenges. The Stella Virium Foundation, as an experienced adult education organization, recognized the need to complement its knowledge and practices through an exchange of experiences with organizations from countries with a longer tradition of working with migrants. Additionally, an internal analysis revealed a lack of experience in working with refugees, which posed a barrier to the effectiveness of its activities. The project was designed to address these needs. Through the establishment of a partnership with the Italian organization GRUPPO HESED, which has many years of experience in working with migrants and refugees in the northern region of Italy, it became possible to exchange practical solutions, approaches, and methods that support the effective social and professional integration of migrants.